Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sad To Hear

Authorities in Tennessee have recovered the body of a hiker.

Hamilton County (WRCB) - The body of a hiker has been recovered on Suck Creek Mountain. A call came in to the Marion County Sheriff's Department around 5:00 pm that a body had been found. The next six or so hours proved challenging for recovery crews. "The rugged terrain and steep ridges they are having to climb," says Sgt. Dusty Stokes, Hamilton County Sheriff's Department.

Update: The hiker has been identified.

The victim is 23-year-old Jesse David Brude, and authorities say he's an experienced rock climber. The Hamilton County Sheriff's Office says he fell to his death on Suck Creek Mountain. So, we dug deeper to try to find out exactly what went wrong.

They say his brother found him, after he'd been gone several days on a rock climbing trip by himself. Rescuers say he fell as much as 60 feet to the bottom of a cliff. Authorities say while they're not sure whether Brude slipped while hiking on top or fell while climbing, they did find rock climbing gear near the area.